Mavericks End Regular Season On Winning Note
It was a bit of a slow start but the Moose Jaw Midget A Mavericks were able to kick it up a few gears and defeat the visiting Southwest Cyclones 10 - 2 in Saskatchewan Female Hockey League action on Friday evening.
The win means the Mavericks end the regular season with 28 points (14 -2-0) in second place two points behind the East Central Fillies with 30 points (14-0-2). The Mavericks two regular season losses were to the Fillies.
Despite the two losses they do end the regular season as the winningest team in Moose Jaw.
Friday night’s game was led by Brooklyn Nimegeers who had four goals and Kami Schumack who had two goals and two assists on the evening.
First Period
As in Thursday evening’s game the Mavericks started out flat and failed to penetrate into the front of the Cyclones net and had limited scoring opportunities.
The Mavericks though seemed to break out of the mould midway through the first period in a breakaway rush by Nimegeers which seemed to fire up the team from the flat start. (See video below.)
Then at the 10:08 mark Nimegeers scored assisted by Schumack and Jadyn Palaschuk.
For Palaschuk it would be the start of a three point evening registering her first points of the regular season. It was also an evening where she would be hurt and down three times and each time bounce back stronger than when she started.
The Mavericks would score their second goal at the 4:25 mark an unassisted shorthanded goal by Lindsay Daniel.
Second Period
The Mavericks would increase their lead to three to nothing on a goal by Schumack at the 18:29 mark assisted by Palaschuk.
The Cyclones would get on the scoreboard on the powerplay after a controvesial play where Nikita Halyk was intentionally tripped near the Gull Lake squad’s blue line and in the ensuing rush the puck would go down ice and in the ensuing play Taylor Couch would score at the 14:59 mark assisted by Chase Reynolds and Bryden Tremere.
Despite the missed penalty call the Mavericks would come back and regain their three goal lead at 17:04 when Nimegeers scored an unassisted marker.
The Mavericks fifth goal would come at the 17:04 mark when Ember DuSomme would score assisted by Daniel and Courtney Botterill.
Sustained pressure in the Cyclones end resulted in the Mavericks sixth goal when DuSomme would streak in on the right wing and put a perfect shot over Cyclone’s goalie’s left shoulder and top shelf into the net. (See goal video below)
The Cyclones would add their second goal at the 2:02 mark on a great individual effort by Chenielle Elviss would break in down on the right wing and despite fighting off two Mavericks defenders managed to score with a pretty shot about a foot off the ice on the opposite side of the goal which was next to impossible for Schay Campaugh to stop.
Third Period
The Mavericks seventh goal would come at 15:35 when Ashley Breitkreuz would take a low shot from the left wing that would go five hole and in the Cyclones net. Assists on the goal went to Schumack and Mattea May.
The Mavericks lead increased to a seven goal margin when Robertson made the initial stop but Nimegeers would charge the net and bat the puck into the net for an unassisted goal at 8:45.
With the clock winding down Schumack had the puck handed right to her in front of the Cyclones net wrist handing it for the Mavericks' tenth goal with 12 seconds left on the clock.
Post Game Comments
Once again the team started out flat in the first period head coach Mike Botterill said.
“I think our girls came out a little bit flat again similar to the last game we played. But they certainly turned that around in the second and third periods. We played them strong in the second and third (periods) as we played them all year,” Botterill said.
For the second game in a row a first intermission pep talk was used to turn the Mavericks play and game around.
“I think we were a little bit flat and I don’t think we were communicatng the way we normally do again we had a little chat in between periods and just told us to get back to Maverick hockey and talking to each other and getting pucks deep when we didn’t have other chances and I think it obviously paid off in the second and third periods for us,” he said.
Once the Mavericks started scoring the Cyclones started to play undisciplined and more aggressive hockey which helped Moose Jaw win the game.
“Their goalie got pretty frustrated when we got a few goals in on her and I think her showing some of that lead to the rest of her team maybe go the same way and they got a little bit undisciplined as well. I think that took the wind out of their sails and we got a few goals on them.”
Asked if some of the individual efforts on the ice helped turn the Mavericks play from flat to where they wanted to be Head Coach Botterill agreed.
“I think that some of our girls decided somebody had to step up and I don’t mind seeing that at all. I think her (Kaelyn Logan) as well as Ember DuSomme as well as number nine (Brooklyn Nimegeers) took the task on and started to go harder and I think the rest of the team responded. We needed somebody to step up and lead and I think those three girls started us going and we just followed suit.”
With the regular season now over the Mavericks next play in the week of February 12th but with the majority of the team busy with high school mid-term exams Botterill said the break was needed.
Additionally the Mavericks have three injured players who could use time to recuperate - both Sidney Ellingson and Makayla Anderson have knee injuries although Anderson did play in Friday’s matchup - and Eowyn Stokes suffered a minor concussion on Friday evening.
“The time off is going to be good for us and then we can get back it hard later,” Botterill said.